The Christmas Wish
by Dea Mortis
Summary: Duo has but one wish - to see snow at Christmas. -- fluff, sad, shounen ai, 1+3+2, 5+4


The Christmas Wish by Willow 

13 December 2000

Type : one-shot Teaser : Duo has only one wish... to see snow.  
Spoilers : none.  
Warnings : none, really...  
Keywords : AT, shounen ai  
Pairings : 1x3(+2), 5+4  
Rating : PG-13  
Disclaimer : I don't own anything. I am poor... want a nickel?  
Feedback : Pretty please?  
Notes: Ok the pairing thing. Duo is 3 years younger than the rest of the pilots. Heero and Trowa are together and would have liked to have Duo in the pairing, but HE's 12!!! I'm not gonna do that! They kinda adopt him as part of them. Like either a son or a kid brother. Read to understand the rest.

The Christmas Wish by Willow

"Christmas isn't supposed to be rainy," Duo whispered sadly to the bay windows overlooking the great lawn. Quatre's holiday retreat was a homey old farm house in the southern hills of what once was America. He'd taken them there because he thought Duo'd like it, but the American was not happy. "Christmas is supposed to be snowy and white and pretty. Not rainy and grey and icky."

No matter what the blond tried, Duo refused to come out of his funk. Whether it was the dismal weather or the disappointment in the front that had promised glorious amounts of snow, was unknown.

"Duo, it's called weather because it's always changing 'weather' we like it or not," Wufei said, trying to get Duo to smile. His efforts were in vain, for all Shinigami did was sit in the windowseat and stare out at the muck, eyes sad.

Outside the rain poured down in sheets, wet and icy, making the roads impossible to drive on. The grey-brown mud and the slate grey sky seemed to blen together to make one endless mural of melancholy. The cold permiated the walls of the old house and was passed on to it's occupants.

Later, before dinner, Quatre decided that it was a wee-bit too chill in the house, so he went to start the fire. He'd knelt down to kindle the fire when he saw that Duo was still sitting in the window. He sighed, lighting the fire and making sure it took, then got up, grabbed the blanket from the couch, and placed it around the braided boy.

"I thought you might be cold," he said, smiling warmly as Duo pulled the blanket up to his chin. Instead of smiling back, Duo just turned back to the bleak outside and continued to stare.

What could he be looking at? Quatre thought. He cast a sad smile back at his friend as he left to prepare dinner.

At dinner all the pilots sat around the table eating porkchops and greens. Instead of wolfing his meal down, Duo sat poking at his meat and pushing the little green peas around in circles.

Quatre fed up with Duo's pouting - or whatever it was - decided to get him to talk. "What's wrong, Duo?"

"Nothing."

"Oh really? You haven't smiled all day. There's something wrong," Wufei said, dark eyes matter-of-fact, but mildly concerned.

"It's nothing."

"Hn."

Duo looked up to glare at the boy beside him, eyes flashing fury.

That's the most emotion he's shown all day, Quatre thought. Did something happen between them?

"Look, Duo, we're all just trying to help--" Quatre began.

"I don't need your help! I never asked for it and I don't need it. Just leave me alone!!!!" Duo pushed back from the table and fled, knocking his chair over in the process.

"Perhaps one of us should go after him," Trowa said as they heard the front door slam shut.

"I'll handle it," Heero said, standing up.

"Why'd he get so mad?" Quatre asked.

"You'll get answers later, but now we must find him..." Heero said. Before he gets sicker, he thought.

Twenty minutes later, Heero returned with a sopping wet Duo. The boy in his arms was unconscious, sleeping Quatre guessed.

Heero got the boy upstairs, out of his wet clothing, and into bed. As he came down the stairs, a little while later, all eyes turned to him, full of questions.

"Is he alright?" Trowa asked. Heero nodded. That seemed to satisfy him.

"Now, can you please tell us why he got so mad?" Quatre asked, impatient for an answer.

Heero sighed and looked very weary and sad. "Duo has a terminal illness. He doesn't have long to live."

Quatre froze, his heart contracting painfully. Duo ill? Dying? He felt hot tears begin to run down his cheeks. "S-shouldn't he be in the hospital or something?"

Heero shook his head, "There's nothing they can do for him. If he were to be placed in one, I'm sure the boredom would make him die all the sooner."

"I guess that's why he didn't want our help, logical," Wufei said, "but if he's so determined to do things for himself... be alive, then why was he moping about all day?"

Heero looked irritated. "You should know, Wufei. Have you ever seen snow?"

"No, but I--"

"Duo grew up on one of the most run-down colonies. He hardly ever saw water, let alone snow. He's gonna die soon, Wufei, and all he wanted was to see some snow... a snowy Christmas, like the ones in the carols," Heero said irritably, leaning towards the Chinese ominously.

"Oh," was all he could say.

"Yeah, 'oh'. You know he's younger than any of us?" Heero asked looking around the group. "He's 12, he's just a kid. He probably won't live to see 13... and the only thing he's asking is to see a little snow."

"12?" Quatre asked, surprised. Sure Duo acted like a little kid, but then they all had the right. They'd had their childhoods taken away from them before they knew they'd had one. But 12? Wufei's eyes were bulging from their sockets and Trowa looked ready to leave the room (presumably to go to Duo).

Heero nodded, smiling sadly. "He's a sweet kid. Think what age we all began our training. Subtract about 3 years."

Quatre thought about it. Most of them had started training at 7... if Duo had as many years training, he'd have been 4 when he began! A toddler! Not even schoolage! This made Quatre's blood seethe.

"Heero?" Trowa said.

The Wing pilot looked at him.

"You... know what Duo's been through?" it was a knowing question. Not as if he were asking to know, but asking to see if Heero knew. Of course he knew. Poor Duo.

Heero nodded. He and Trowa shared a glance, then the latter got up from the couch and went upstairs. Quatre was confused.

"Heero, what did he mean by that?"

"It is not up to me, Duo will have to choose whether he wants to tell you or not," with that he followed Trowa upstairs.

After he was out of sight, Wufei scooted over and whispered in his lover's ear. "His missions were more like Trowa's than any one else's. They were NOT missions ANYONE should ever have to do."

Quatre looked confused for a moment longer, then, like the dawn sun rising over the mountains, he understood... and nearly burst into tears.

When Heero got to the room, Trowa was sitting beside the bed stroking Duo's bangs from his sunken, closed eyes. He looked up at his lover when he came in, "Is he gonna be alright for now?"

Heero nodded, "I don't think he caught anything, he's just exhausted. Though you might check his forehead..."

Trowa placed his long, fine boned hand the smaller boy's forehead. There was a slight fever, but nothing serious. "Not much, but I think we still should use a cold compress."

Heero nodded and went into the bathroom. Trowa heard the water running, then Heero returned with a neatly folded bath cloth and placed it on Duo's forehead.

Heero lay down on the bed, beside Duo and against the wall. "Poor baby, he's so depressed. All he want's is a little snow..." he said, looking at the sleeper.

"If it doesn't snow tomorrow, we can take him some where else. New Colorado, I hear, gets lots this time of year," Trowa said quietly.

Heero nodded.

In the morning, it was still a steely grey outside, but it was different. Quatre got up and looked outside. He nearly laughed hysterically at the sight that greeted him.

The surrounding hills were covered in a thick layer of snow and more was falling from the silver-grey clouds.

"Duo!!! Hey, it snowed!!!! It's snowing!!!!" He heard the boy, followed by two others, fly down the stairs.

Duo looked out and became positively gleeful! "Oh my god! It really snowed!!!!! C-can we go play in it???" He looked at Trowa and Heero, who'd come up behind him. They smiled at him and nodded. Heero placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him as he tried to race out the door.

"But first," and Duo groaned. "You must have breakfast and open presents. This is Christmas after all."

Later, Duo raced down the hill on his new sled, snow flying in all directions. He was happier than he'd ever been before. Trowa and Heero smiled as Duo engaged them in snowball fight after snowball fight.

It was the most memorable Christmas for all of them.

Febuary 14, AC195, after fighting for almost 3 years, Duo Maxwell succumbed to leukemia.

End

Willow

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